Apricot Plum cake

It has been a long dormancy for the blog.
What better way to break it with a homemade apricot plum cake.
Belated July 4th to my American readers.

I made this cake for July 4th to celebrate America's 243rd year of Independence.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour             - 1 1/4 cup
Atta( whole wheat flour) - 1/2 cup
Plums                              - 4 ( peel off skin , scoop out the flesh)
Apricots                           - 2 ( peel off skin , scoop out the flesh)
Yogurt(curd)                    - 1/2 cup
Sugar                               - 1/2 cup
oil                                     - 2/3 cup
Baking powder                - 1 tsp
Baking soda                    - 1/2 tsp
Apple cider vinegar         - 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder          - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder               - 1/4 tsp 
Salt                                   - 1/4 tsp
Almonds                           - 1/2 cup(chopped)

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients - the flours, baking powder, salt, cardamom, nutmeg and sugar in  a bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a baking pan.
In a separate mix the oil/butter/yogurt/vinegar and the fruits together. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients taking care not to beat the mixture too much. At the end fold in the almonds.
Add the baking soda and mix gently. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 45 minutes or until done.
I baked mine in 2 pans.

Tips:
1.The original recipe used soy milk and vinegar. I replaced it with yogurt and half the quantity of vinegar.
2. I used a mix of oil and melted butter in the ratio 2:1.
3. My plums and apricots were very ripe so i was able to scoop the flesh out. you can chop them if they are firmer as per the original recipe.
4. I used a little more flour than the original recipe to make it the right consistency for a cake batter.
5. Flavoring with unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder will add to the taste of the cake.

Recipe source
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/eggless-plum-cake-recipe/

Date almond eggless cake

Happy 2018 to all.
This is my first post for the year. It has been a busy start to the year and before I realised it is already March🙂. I am starting off with a cake recipe which I baked for my son’s ninth birthday. This recipe reminds me of my first introduction to baking. It was when my mother used to bake eggless cakes for us. We used to take turns to beat the butter and the sugar as we had no processors then. This is similar to a date and walnut cake she baked.
The cake turned out moist and flavorful. The birthday boy enjoyed the cake with vadai 🙂:-).

Ingredients:

Wheat flour.                   -1/2 cup
Maida.                             - 1/2 cup
Raw Sugar.                     - 1/2 cup
Dates(chopped).            - 3/4 cup
Baking soda.                   - 1 tsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
Water                               - 1 cup
Butter(melted).              - 1/4 cup
Almonds(chopped).      - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Salt.                                  - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder.      - 1 tsp

Steps to make the cake

Boil the dates with the water and sugar in medium heat until it all blends together.Let this cool down to room temperature. In the meantime in a bowl mix the dry ingredients together and mix well. Pre heat the oven to 360 F.
Add the melted room temperature butter to the date water mixture and mix well. Now add this liquid mixture to the flour mixture and blend the ingredients together well.
Grease a baking pan and pour in the mixture.
Bake the batter for about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick cones out clean.Mine took about 40 minutes.  Let it cool down. Serves as a snack for kids and goes well with a cup of tea or coffee.

Recipe source :
https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/2017/11/eggless-dates-walnut-cake-recipe-christmas.html

This is the 124th post, one away from the 125th. Hooray!


Tips:

1. You can mix the instant coffee powder in the date water mix after taking off from heat and mux well. I added the it with the flour and blended it well.
2. Cocoa powder may be a good alternative to the coffee powder.
3. I melted the butter to make clarified butter(ghee). Used the melted butter from this for the recioe whike it was processing.
4.The original recipe used walnuts, cinnamon, brown sugar and oil. I replaced them with almonds, cardamom, raw sugar and butter.
5. The cake was very mild in sweetness. If you prefer more sweetness you can add a little more brown sugar or raw sugar.

Mini Veggie pot pie

This was our first trial with pot pies. We used a batch of whole wheat and sunflower seed crackers for the crust. It was a big hit with our 7 year old.

Ingredients

Stuffing
Butternut squash. - 1 cup (diced)
Onions.                    - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Garlic.                      - 2 cloves(finely chopped)
Celery.                     - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Ginger.                    - 2 tsp(finely chopped)
Milk.                        - 1/4 cup
Red beans.              - 16 oz can ( drained)
All purpose flour. - 1 tbsp
Spice.                      - 2 tsp(coriander/red chilli                                    powder)
Salt.                          - as needed
Oil of choice           - 2-3 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Crust
Oat/Rye/sunflower seed flour -1/4 cup
Whole wheat flour.                  - 1/4 cup
All purpose flour.                     - 1/2 cup
Butter.                                         - 1/2 cup
Cold water.                                 - 1/2 to 1 cup
Refrigerate the ingredients for the crust along with the equipment you are going to use to make the crust ( fork/blender) while making the stuffing.

Steps to make the stuffing

Heat a pan and add 1-2 tsp oil. Once the oil is hot add the garlic and onions. Saute until the onions are translucent. Then add the ginger,celery , butternut squash,red beans and,  turmeric powder. Saute for a few minutes and add the spices and salt. Cook covered in medium heat until the vegetables are well done. Lower the heat and add the milk with the flour. Mix well to avoid any lumps.Let it simmer for a few minutes to a semi solid consistency. Let it cool.

Steps to prepare the crust

Mix the flours together. Cut in the butter with a fork to the flour. Mix it well so that the butter blends in well with the flour. Add the cold water slowly  and mix well to avoid lumps. The dough should be firm in consistency but should not crumble. Make 1-2 inch balls of dough depending on the size of the bowl in which you want to bake.
Roll the balls with a rolling pin into small circles of 1/2 inch thickness.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Grease the ramekins or bowls and place one layer of dough in the bowl to cover the bottom and all the sides. Place the stuffing on the dough almost till the top edge of the bowl. Place another layer of the dough to cover the stuffing. Do the same with all the bowls. Poke a few holes  on the top layer of the dough to avoid the contents bursting out while baking.
Place the bowls in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Switch off oven and let it cool.
Turn it over on a plate before serving.

Tips:
1. We had a batch whole wheat crackers and rye/ sunflower seed crackers which I powdered into flour consistency and used for the crust.
2. Soaked and cooked dry beans can be used instead if canned beans. I used canned for a quick fix dinner.
3. Tofu can be used instead of beans.
4. Shredded cheese can be used on top of the stuffing just before closing with a layer of dough.
5. You can add a little water for bean and vegetables mixture to cook before adding the milk.

Recipe inspiration:

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-vegan-tofu-and-vegetabl-134550

Ginger snap cookies

With the cold weather already settling in early this year it is time to get the baking recipes started and light up the fireplace.I started off my first cookie baking this year with ginger snaps.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour       - 1 1/2 cups

All purpose flour         - 1/2 cup

Soy flour                     - 1/4 cup

Baking powder           - 1 tsp

Nutmeg powder          - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tsp

Cocoa powder            - 1 tbsp

Fresh ginger               -  1 tbsp( grated)

Brown palm sugar     - 3/4 cup

White sugar               - 1/4 cup

Large egg                   - 1

Butter                         - 1 stick

Oil                              - 3 tbsp

Almond milk             - 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Salt                            - 1 tsp

Leave the butter out in room temperature for half hour. Powder the brown sugar.

Add all the dry ingredients together in the food processor and blend well. Now add the melted butter, oil and the egg yo the dry ingredients. Let them blend well. Add the milk and run the processor in dough setting for a couple of minutes until it forms a soft dough. 

Take the dough out and refrigerate it for an hour to two wrapped in cling wrap or a tight container.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it into one inch balls and flatten it to 1/2 inch thickness on a baking tray. Bake it for 12-15 minutes. Makes about 40 cookies.

Recipe source:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/11/gingersnaps/

No knead bread by our 5 year old

Introducing the youngest chef of our house, our newly turned 5 year old making an easy no knead bread.

Ingredients
All purpose flour - 2 and 1/2 cups
whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
yeast                     - 1/2 tsp
salt                       - 1 tsp
lukewarm water  - 1 and 3/4 cups

3 cups of Flour

Adding 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp yeast

1 and 3/4 cups lukewarm water

 Mix dry ingredients together.Slowly add the water while mixing to make a sticky dough.

Mixing

  Cover with a cling wrap and let it rest for 18-22 hour in the refrigerator.

Wrapping up

 

risen dough

 Flour a surface and place the risen dough and fold it into desired shape in a floured baking dish.
Then let it rise for another 2 hours.Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Bake it without a cover for 45 minutes or until done if you want a hard surface and bubbly, soft inside.

If you want a soft surface like a sponge cake texture follow the steps below.
 Bake it closed for 15 minutes then open the lid and bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Spray water on the surface and close pan with lid.Continue baking for 15 minutes or until done.

Baked bread

Quinoa whole wheat grain bread

Ingredients

All purpose flour(maida)                  -  1 1/2 cups (can be replaced by whole wheat flour)

Whole wheat flour                            - 1/2 cup

Red Quinoa(toasted & half cooked) - 1/2 cup

salt                                                     -  as per taste

yeast                                                   - 1 tsp

water *                                                - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Oil of choice                                       - 1 tbsp

* I used water drained from yogurt for mixing the flour.

Directions:

Mix the flour, quinoa, salt and yeast in a bowl. Add water little by little and make it into a soft dough consistency. The dough should not be too dry, add a little flour if too moist. Knead for 2-3 minutes add the oil and keep kneading for another 3 minutes until it is not too sticky to touch.

Close it with a moist cloth and keep in a warm place for about 2 hours or until it doubles.

Grease and flour the baking tray or pan and pre-heat oven to 375 F.

I used a cast iron pan to bake the bread.

Bake until done, mine took about 35-40 minutes.

Turn off the oven and let it rest in the baking rack to cool.

Baked bread

Masala buns

Ingredients:

For the covering :
Maida(All purpose flour) - 1 cup
Atta (whole Wheat flour) - 1 cup
Agave                              - 1 tbsp
Active dry yeast              - 1 tbsp
Oil of choice                   - 2- 3 tbsp
Salt                                 - 1/2 tsp
Spices of choice             - 1 tsp
(I used jeera and chia seeds)
Lukewarm water           - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Lukewarm milk            - 1/4 cup

For the filling:
I used leftover vegetables and lentils for the filling, you can use a stuffing of your choice.
Saute the vegetables you use so that the stuffing is not too wet.
Spinach                         - 1/2 cup ( spiced with salt and black pepper)
Cooked lentils                - 1/2 cup ( spiced with lemon, fresh ginger, salt and chopped cilantro leaves)

Method:
Mix the flour with the salt and dry spices in a bowl and set aside.
Dissolve the agave in the lukewarm milk and add the yeast and wait for it to froth which should be under a minute. Add the oil and the frothy yeast to the flour, mix well.
Start adding the lukewarm water and start rolling into a dough. Keep adding water until it becomes a soft dough, add flour if too sticky. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for about 5- 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to the bowl after greasing it with some oil and brush it with some oil on the top.
Cover it with a damp cloth and keep in a warm place for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Stuffing:
Prepare the stuffing of your choice while the dough is rising.
I mixed the cooked spinach and lentils and sauteed them to make it a little dry.

Punch down the dough once risen and knead for about 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll them out into 1/2 inch thickness circles and place the stuffing in the center. Then close it at all ends to cover the stuffing with dough all around. Brush them with a little oil on the top.
Place the balls on a greased baking dish for about 15 minutes. While the buns are rising pre-heat oven to 375 F.
Bake the risen balls for about 20-25 minutes or until done.In between after 15 minutes of baking brush the tops with butter or oil and turn the baking dish 360 degrees.
Recipe source:
http://sinfullyspicy.com/2011/08/27/masala-buns/

Masala buns served with Sriracha/ranch sauce

Orange nut muffins

Maida                     - 1 cup

Whole Wheat flour - 1/2 cup

Butter                     -  2 tbsps

Agave                    - 1 tbsp

Orange juice          - 1 cup

Active dry yeast     - 1 1/4 tsp

Salt                        - 1/4 tsp

Nuts of your choice- 1/2 cup(chopped)*

* I used almonds

Add  the salt to the flour followed by the butter. Mix it well so that the butter blends with the flour. Then add the yeast to the flour and mix well with your hands.

Add 1/2 cup lukewarm water to the orange juice and add this along with the agave to the flour and mix well into a soft dough. Knead for about 3-5 minutes. Cover and place it in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. It took me about 4 hours for this when placed in the oven with the light on.

Kneaded dough

Take the dough and knead for a couple of minutes. Then divide the dough into 6 balls.

Roll out each ball into 1/2 inch thickness circles and place about a tsp of chopped nuts in the center.

Roll out risen dough and fill with nuts

Cover it and close it all around shaping it like a ball.

Rolled out dough in greased muffin pan

Place these nut filled dough balls in greased muffin pans and let it stand for half hour.

Preheat oven to 450 F and bake the muffins until the top is light brown or well done.

It took about 30 minutes for mine to bake.

Blueberry muffins

Blueberry muffins

Made this for breakfast for my son for breakfast instead of the usual fruit cake for Christmas.

Flour                                     - 1/2 cup
Oats(slow cooking)               - 1/2 cup(lightly toasted)
Yogurt(curd)                          - 1/2 cup
Baking powder                      -  1 tsp
Baking soda                           - 1/8 tsp
Agave                                    - 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup
(have put it this way for easier measure for the recipe instead of 0.375 cups)
Butter                                     - 3 and 3/4 tbsps
Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1/2 tsp
salt                                          - a small pinch
lemon zest                               - 1/2 tsp
Almonds(chopped).               - 1/2 cup
Blueberries(fresh or frozen)    - 1/2 cup *

* I had stored the freshly picked blueberries in summer in the freezer which I used for this recipe.


Melt the butter and mix it with the agave in a vessel. Beat this well with a fork or hand blender until fluffy. Add the yogurt, salt and lemon zest and beat it well. Mix the flour, oats,cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl. Slowly add the flour into the butter mix until it all blends together.Finally add the blueberries and akmonds to the mixture and mix it well. The dough will be thick.
Meantime grease the muffin pan and pre-heat the oven to 375F.

Scoop out the dough and fill the muffin pans about 3/4 full. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top browns and the fork/tester comes out clean.Let it cool on the rack for few minutes. Take the muffins out once cooled down completely.

The baked muffins

Recipe source : http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/08/perfect-blueberry-muffins/
I replaced some of the flour with oats, agave for the sugar and yogurt for the egg.
The recipes from the smittenkitchen blog for muffins and short breads has always come out well for me.

Oat cookies

Ingredients:

Old fashioned Oats     - 1 cup

All purpose flour        -  1/2 cup

Brown Sugar              - 1/2 cup

Butter (softened)         - 1/6 cup

Baking soda                - 1/4 tsp

Dried plums(chopped)- 1/2 cup

Salt                              - 1/8 tsp

Yogurt(curd)               - 1/4 cup

Cocoa powder            - 1 tsp

Mix the butter, brown sugar, cocoa powder and yogurt into a smooth batter. Add the flour, baking soda and salt to this butter mixture and mix well. Finally fold in the oats and dried plums to this mixture.

Chill the mixture for an hour or two. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F(175 C).Scoop out the batter onto a baking dish. Place the scoops at least 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for about 15- 20 minutes until they turn light brown. Switch off oven and let them rest on the rack of the hot oven before taking them out.

Recipe source : http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/

Peach Shortbread

I made fruit shortbread/ fruit cookie for the first time.

Recipe Source :

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/09/peach-shortbread/

Replaced the following ingredients in that recipe:

butter with ghee (since I already had ghee)

Flour  with a combination of whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and soy flour.

Egg with yogurt (curd)

Cinnamon with cardamom powder

Followed the steps of the recipe as in the link above.

On the baking tray I placed a layer of flour crumble, layer of peach, layer of crumble, layer of peach and layer of flour crumble and topped it with chopped almonds. 

before baking

Bake it at 375 F for 40 minutes or until the top browns a little. Once it cools down slice it into pieces.

Baked slices

bread rolls

Recipe

Whole wheat flour       - 1 cup

All purpose flour         - 1/4 cup

Soy flour                     - 1/4 cup

cardamom powder      - 1 tsp

Canola oil                   - 2 tbsps

Active dry yeast         - 1 tsp

Lukewarm water       - 3/4 cup

Arrowroot Powder    - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and knead well for about 10 minutes. Roll into balls and keep in a warm place for few hours until it doubles.

Bake in 400 F for about 15 minutes.

Recipe source :

http://quicknhealthy.blogspot.com/2013/02/cardamom-flavoured-coconut-bread.html

Instant Quinoa Dosai

 

                                                         Instant Quinoa Dosai

Ingredients:
Quinoa- half cup
Rice flour - half cup
Maida/all purpose flour - 2 tbsp
salt to taste
chopped scallions
Spices of choice( turmeric powder, asoefatida powder )
a pinch of baking powder (optional)
    yogurt or water - 1 cup approximate measure
Dry roast Quinoa and powder it as fine as possible( rava like consistency). Mix the powdered quinoa with the rest of the dry ingredients. Add yogurt or water to make it into a liquid dosa batter.
Heat Tava( dosa kal) and pour the batter on the tava and spread it like a dosa. Cook it well on both sides.

Instant Quinoa dosai served with Coriander (kothamalli chutney).
"Sending this to Priya's May 2013 edition of Healthy me and Healthy Us event hosted by Jayanthi"
http://kuttybear-toddlerfoodideas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/healthy-me-healthy-us-may-2013-edition.html

garlic foccacia

My first attempt at baking bread. - garlic foccacia. Recipe from http://litebite.in/garlic-foccasia-bread/. I skipped the tomatoes from that recipe.

waffles- the Alton Brown way

We are back with a bang after a long silence.

Waffles made from whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Tasted good with butter and syrup.
The link to the recipe is below. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3in0JurBe8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3UHlQhUxdY&feature=related